FOOD

Health Benefits of Kanji, Rice Gruel and Mung Beans

My Breakfast Today Series -1

‘’Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food ‘’ Michael Pollan.

I grew up in a small coastal village in Kerala surrounded by the backwaters and lush green paddy fields.

Kanji and curry were our official food. The word “Congee (Kanji)” has a Tamil origin. It is a rice porridge or a thick rice gruel made from rice. It was the Kerala equivalent of bread and butter. Grown-ups went to earn a living to provide ‘kanji ‘’to their families. Little me loved making small mud kitchens and indulged in making ‘’Kanji and curry ‘’ as my favorite game. Childhood during the eighties was so precious. Devoid of any other distraction, we played with our hands using all the elements of nature, filling our minds with imagination.

Kanji is my comfort food as well as nostalgia!

My grandpa was a connoisseur of rich and royal food. He relished warm kanji, topped with fresh ghee, daily for breakfast, along with mouth-watering vegetable curries and puzhukku ( Dry and sticky vegies preparation, not a curry ) made from jackfruit and tapioca or boiled green gram (payar ). Kanji and one vegetable curry or Puzhukku, roasted papad, and pickles were the norm. There were no excesses.

The fresh vegetables required for curries and puzhukku came from our small kitchen garden. In the morning, Granny would keep the rice for cooking in a big aluminum pot ‘kalam’ on the wood fire and go around the house to pick some vegetables for the curry. Soon her magical touch would convert the tender plantain stem, colocasia, tapioca, yam, purple yam, sweet potatoes, jackfruit, jackfruit seeds, etc., into mouth-watering curries.

As a child, I detested all these delicious healthy preparations. Now, I realize that simple foods like kanji were the health secret of my aged great-grandparents. I make it with a lot of devotion in my heart.

Health Benefits of Kanji

Kanji is made with brown unpolished rice, which has many health benefits.

It is rich in fibers, which come from the barn, germ, and endosperm.

It is also rich in minerals, antioxidants, Vitamin E, unsaturated fat, and phytochemicals.

Essential oils present in rice barn helps to reduce serum cholesterol; improving heart health.

In addition to the high content of proteins, all forms of rice are gluten-free too.

Now, you are definitely warmed up to grab a steaming bowl of kanji!

Let’s go to the preparation:

RICE CONGEE (PORRIDGE)

(Makes 4 bowls)

2 cups broken red rice

4 to 5 cups of water (Enough water to boil )

Pinch of salt.

PREPARATION :

Wash the rice in water three or four times.

· Boil the water

· Add rice to boiling water and cook till tender and becomes a porridge.

· Add a pinch of salt, and garnish with a spoonful of cow ghee. Consume hot with the curry.

Health Benefits of Payar (Green gram)

Mung beans or green gram is known to have many health benefits.

It is known to help reduce weight, fight against cancer, reduce blood pressure, and control cholesterol.

It is an organic skincare solution. It is also helpful in reducing PMS symptoms.

Payar , Boiled Mung Beans

The boiled green gram with coconut is a perfect accompaniment to traditional Indian breakfast items like puttu, chapati, and puri.

Let us see how to make this protein-packed dish.

Ingredients :

(Serves 4 to 5 bowls )

• 500 gms Payar (Whole Green gram)

• 1 cup grated coconut

• 2 garlic cloves

• 1 tsp red chilli powder

• ½ tsp cumin seeds

• Salt

• Oil of your choice.

Mustard, curry leaves, chopped shallots, and red chilies for tempering.

PREPARATION :

Boil the green lentils with salt in a cooker or pan till done. Drain any excess water. Coarsely grind coconut, cumin seeds, and a garlic pod. Add chili powder. Mix the coconut paste with the cooked lentils. Heat two teaspoons of coconut oil in a pan. Splutter the mustard and sauté other ingredients for tempering. To this add the lentil mixture. Mix well. Simmer with the lid on for a few more minutes before serving.

The combination of Kanji and Payar is excellent for your digestive system and quite filling. It is a great option to enjoy this diet when you are on a weight loss goal. It is an alkaline diet and is very soothing for your guts, especially when you are unwell.

Avoid adding ghee to the meal to make it a vegan delicacy!

Eat healthy! Keep Glowing!

Read similar stories from Illumination’s Nutrition from our amazing writers:

PAYAR (Boiled green gram)

The simple side dish of boiled green gram along with coconut is a great combination with Kanji and Puttu. It can be relished with Puri and chapatti also.

Let us see how to make this protein-packed dish.

• 500 gms Payar (Whole Green gram)

• 1 cup grated coconut

• 2 garlic cloves

• 1 tsp red chilli powder

• ½ tsp cumin seeds

• Salt

• Oil

• Mustard, curry leaves, chopped shallots, and red chilies for tempering.

PREPARATION :

Boil the green lentils with salt in a cooker or pan till done. Drain any excess water. Coarsely grind coconut, cumin seeds, and a garlic pod. Add chili powder. Mix the coconut paste with the cooked lentils. Heat two teaspoons of coconut oil in a pan. Splutter the mustard and sauté other ingredients for tempering. To this add the lentil mixture. Mix well. Simmer with the lid on for a few more minutes before serving.

NUTRITIONAL BENEFITS OF MUNG BEANS :

( Sourced from wiki )

Mung beans are packed with energy, approximately 347 kcal per 100gm.